The Den's eponymous Fox marked her place in her book and set it down when the boy walked into the warehouse.

"Good to see you again!" A smile slid across her lips and she waited for him to come to her. When he did, he told her the backstories of her fellow gang members; she smiled.

"Well, look at you! You did exactly what I asked. The others were right about you." She sat back on her stool and crossed her arms and legs, high-heeled boots dangling above the floor. The fact that her feet didn't touch the ground in anything but a chair shorter than her knees irked her, but she brought her focus back to the boy.

"Now that you're done, I have an errand to run and I want you to come with me." Two weeks ago, she had discovered a new business in the District, and for some strange reason, the shopkeeper, Mugen Yuan, had been more than cooperative. He'd definitely earned a fox on his door. "Shall we do lunch? I know a great place for dumplings." She and Yuan had struck a deal; in lieu of protection money, he provided free medical care and food for her and the men. His building was in a more quiet section of the territory, and she'd never really had to go there to take care of anything, save a few petty things.

"There's a place we need to stop on the way, too. You're not done learning."

Jin Ho's Apartment

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Jin Ho settled on making plain green tea, sencha. He had considered the relaxation blend Hoshi had given him, as well as the herbal one for anxiety from his doctor, but good judgement won out. The policeman didn't know if those teas would react with alcohol, and didn't want to take the chance. So plain tea it was.

He knew Mizu was probably skulking around his living room looking at things. Jin Ho didn't want to look at things, especially not the dog bed. He should've taken it out of the living room before. Taking two cups, he went back out to the sofa. Maybe Mizu would want tea, and maybe not. But he wanted to offer anyway, because it was polite.

Jin Ho curled up in the quilt, tucking his feet under him. He held a mug of tea in his hands, enjoying the warmth of it in his hands. "Those are my parents," he said softly. "I'm sure you saw the picture." It was in a place to be noticed, after all. Jin Ho's mother was pretty, with a round, sweet face. In the photo she was hugging him, flushed with pride. His father was grey in streaks at the temples, wound through a thick braid. He too looked proud in the picture. "That was the day I graduated from the police academy," Jin Ho said.

Sipping his tea and little, he sighed. There was a couch pillow nearby, and after setting his cup down, the metalbender picked it up. Tears were building, so he wrapped his arms around the pillow and buried his face against the worn fabric. His shoulders shook a little.

Mizu looked at the cups as Jin Ho set them down, then at the teapot. The Waterbender raised an eyebrow as he pondered the option between tea and alcohol, then cleared his throat as he looked back up at the other man.

When Jin Ho brought the photograph on the mantle up, Mizu glanced at it again. His parents' poses were as he'd described, but he bit his lip. "I'll bet they were very proud of you. You seem like you're cut out to be a cop." Clearing his throat again, he closed his eyes for a second, took a breath, and then bent the wine inside the bottle to force the cork out. In a moment of dexterity and agility that he'd probably never exhibit again, he caught the cork before it flew across the room, mainly because he still wanted to be able to stopper the bottle should he need to.

The bouquet of the wine cut through the air to his nose, but when he inhaled, he noticed something else that he hadn't when they'd come in the apartment: a breathy, woody scent that hung lightly in the air. While he wasn't too familiar with the variety of scents in the world, he knew he'd smelled it before, probably at the dumpling shop across the street from his house. He made a mental note to ask the woman that ran the stand later as he poured the wine into the cup Jin Ho had given him.

He felt a pain in his chest when the officer grabbed a pillow and held it close. Perhaps because of the discomfort at the very real possibility that he might see Jin Ho cry, he looked elsewhere in the apartment and caught sight of something in one of the room's corners. If he didn't know any better, it was a bed that would never be occupied again, and he took a large gulp of wine from the cup. The sweet/tart flavor invaded his mouth, and the warmth flowing through his veins gave him enough courage to slide across the expanse of cushions. Breath caught in his chest, his arm made a motion before he finally put it around the other man, wrapping him in what he assumed to be a futile gesture.

"I...I'm sorry. I can't imagine what it's like to lose someone you love."

Jin Ho's Apartment

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Contrary to the Waterbender's assumption, the gesture was far from futile to Jin Ho. It was warm, and comforting, and he leaned into the other man a little.

"I...I'm sorry. I can't imagine what it's like to lose someone you love."

"Me neither," Jin Ho sniffed, voice muffled in the pillow. "It hasn't happened to me before now." His grandparents had died, of course, but he'd been too young to remember them. When he thought of his grandfather, all he could ever remember was the faint scent of tobacco and a deep voice. He mostly knew them from photographs. No, Jin Ho had been fortunate not to lose anyone he cared deeply about. The experience was new and earth-shattering. Lifting his head a little, he looked at the empty dog bed.

"I, um," he said, voice a bit rough, "had Sweeper... forever. Since before the accident. I don't remember it but my mother says he slept on the bed when I was unconscious and guarded the door all the time." The dog hadn't let anyone in the room without a growling fuss, the stories went, and even then he kept a watchful eye on anyone. And when Jin Ho had finally woken up and ever since then, the dog had stayed with him at night. Even during nightmares the animal would wake him before they got worse. He didn't want to think about what his dreams would be like now.

Jin Ho's grip on the pillow tightened. "I was going to take him to the animal doctor today," he said. "But I didn't make the time. And now —" his voice broke a little.

Now Sweeper was dead. He could've still been alive if Jin Ho had made the time. If he were a better person. If he had taken better care of him. Part of the young man knew, logically, that the dog had been very old. Jin Ho had taken excellent care of him, and it wasn't really his fault. But that logical part didn't outweigh his emotions. A broken heart could defeat any amount of reason.

The Waterbender swallowed a lump in his throat when Jin Ho leaned into him. The contact made his heart flutter, but the overwhelming, palpable emotion that seemed to fill the room like the scent he'd noticed earlier made it twinge.

It hasn't happened to me before now. What the Metalbender was saying made sense because, as far as Mizu could tell, both of Jin Ho's parents, who he seemed to care about very much, were still alive, as was Hoshi, apparently, which probably made the loss of the dog that much more devastating. He felt like he should say something, but a nagging voice in his head told him to wait. For what, though?

If it hadn't been before, his heart broke when Jin Ho told him how Sweeper acted as a nocturnal guardian, sleeping with him and waking him up from nightmares. In his entire life, Mizu had never had anyone or anything doing that for him. He couldn't imagine what it was like to have that and lose it, let alone having it in the first place. The two had definitely shared a bond that one didn't see in the world today.

And then Jin Ho said something that made a tear run down his cheek.

I was going to take him to the animal doctor today, but I didn't make the time, and now--

Another tear joined the first and all he could do was tighten his hold around Jin Ho's back slightly. So this is what he'd been waiting to speak for.

Was the other man really feeling responsible for the dog's death, as if Sweeper wouldn't have died had he done something. The usual "It wasn't your fault" and "There was nothing you could have done" sprung to mind, but he had to stop himself from saying things like that because of what he'd learned about the officer. Given the fact that he had a propensity for blaming himself from things that obviously weren't his fault, the man had lost his best friend.

"I am so sorry you had to lose him. It's not fair...it seems like we always lose the things that are most important to us sooner, but...you loved him and he loved you, right? You took really good care of him for him to live so long, and that's all that matters."

Through icy eyes that were streaming a few more tears, he looked over at the man in his arms and wrapped the other arm around the man's front, sandwiching him and the pillow in his embrace.

"But...I'm here. I don't know if I'm a good substitute for Sweeper, but I'm here."

Jin Ho's Apartment

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While he'd begun to cry a little, Jin Ho hadn't really let loose yet — it took a while for emotions like that to build. Talking about how Sweeper had been his childhood protector pushed him a lot further than anything else.

"I am so sorry you had to lose him. It's not fair...it seems like we always lose the things that are most important to us sooner, but...you loved him and he loved you, right?"

The policeman nodded mutely. He had loved Sweeper, probably more than anything. That dog had been like his best friend but also like his child — he'd always tried to take care of him. Key word being... tried.

"You took really good care of him for him to live so long, and that's all that matters."

Mizu was right. Telling Jin Ho it wasn't his fault or that there wasn't anything he could've done wouldn't have helped him at all. But to hear that someone had observed that he had taken good care of Sweeper was validating, and while it didn't help much, it still helped. Jin Ho let Mizu pull him close.

He cried into the pillow for a while, that and Mizu's shirt. Jin Ho didn't cry very often, and so he wasn't very graceful at it — the sobs were harsh and racked him a little, shoulders shaking. After a while, though, his energy was spent. He'd finally cried and he felt strangely numb when he finally dried his eyes.

Now his face hurt. His eyes felt dry, sandy, and his skin felt tight. Pulling away from Mizu, he gave the man a wan smile. "Thank you," Jin Ho said. Predictably, his eyes were red. "I — I really appreciate it." And he needed to wash his face. He'd be sore from crying later, no doubt. It was easier to hold on to that numb feeling and ignore the sadness if he focused on the small things... like the soreness of his eyes, or that he needed to stretch out his legs because his knees were beginning to ache.

The metalbender would never have expected this kind of comfort from Mizu. He gave a watery laugh and brushed at the Waterbender's shirt. "I'm sorry," he said, "I got your shirt wet." The young man picked up his mug of now-cool tea, sipping it gingerly. What did you say someone after you cried like a small child on them? Jin Ho had no idea. His idly hand fidgeted with his braid.

“Oh, they talked about me?” Jun was taken aback.

The fact that they had said good things about him eased him. His shoulders relaxed, the tension in his muscles vanishing. He rubbed his arm, almost embarrassed at the praise. Jun noticed that her high heeled boots couldn’t quite touch the ground, but that didn’t change his opinion of her. She was still the boss of this place and considering that she achieved leadership despite being newer to the gang in comparison to the others was worth noting. He was left to wonder how she became the head of such a group. Her past was still a mystery- but maybe there was good reason for that.

“An errand?” Jun swallowed, “Dumplings? Yeah, that sounds great!” He nodded. Of course, he wouldn’t have been able to refuse. The question was more of a command than a polite gesture, despite her amiable tone, “I don’t think I’ll ever finish learning.” He rubbed his face, “Uh, but sure. I’ll help out. Gotta earn my nickname, right?” A light chuckle and then a wink.

Raising his arms up, he began to stretch. A pre-emptive preparation, but it didn’t hurt to feel prepared.

“So, is this errand dangerous?” He looked up at her, his green eyes curious and naïve, but with a hint of fear.

The nod said everything, and volumes more; it told of a love that transcended species and went deeper, deeper perhaps than love was capable of going without overstepping the boundary of romance. Upon realizing this, the Waterbender felt as if he'd been punched in the sternum; perhaps he was getting a better idea of the devastating loss Jin Ho had suffered.

He said nothing as Jin Ho cried; on the pillow, but mostly on his shirt. He, however, didn't mind, as it seemed like the Metalbender had earned the right to cry as much as he wanted, and to suggest otherwise would seem...inhuman. Mizu had to tightly close his eyes for a minute to prevent more tears of his own from escaping the corner of his eyes, and he took a breath to center himself; the woody scent flooded his nostrils, coupled with...although he didn't know the source of the aroma, it was salty, tangy, and musky, and when he put his head on Jin Ho's, he was able to identify it as the man's scent. There was another there, in the officer's hair; a softer, more subtle scent that he had just now picked up on. Those, coupled with the tactile sensation of his arms around Jin Ho and the heaviness in his own heart, drew him closer to the other man than any amount of dates and talking ever could.

When the other man stopped crying, Mizu wiped the errant tears from his own cheeks.

Thank you. I-- I really appreciate it.

Mizu blushed. "You're welcome. All I care about is that you have someone to help you through this. I'm just--" He had to pause to clear his throat. "I'm just glad it was me." Suddenly, the couch cushion under him seemed like the most interesting thing in the world.

I'm sorry. I got your shirt wet.

Hearing Jin Ho laugh, even the way he did, made his heart soar. He had lost his dog, and he was worried about getting Mizu's shirt wet? It seemed like the man had no end to the ways he endeared himself to the Waterbender. Speaking of which...

Mizu laughed. "I think you're forgetting the talents I have." Rather than bending the tears out of his shirt (OOC NOTE: BRB TEARBENDING), he lifted his arms up and slipped it over his head, revealing a caramel-colored torso that wasn't overly bulky; rather, it was lightly toned. Looking down at his now-naked upper half, he blushed and scrambled for his shirt to shove himself back into it. Taking a deep breath, he ran a hand over the material and collected the salty water, making it hover just above his palm. With a flick of his wrist, the tears turned into a mist and quickly dispersed.

Face still red, he looked down to the floor. "I'm sorry about that. I wasn't thinking."



Oh, they talked about me?

The Black Fox smiled as she brushed a strand of raven hair behind her ear. Of course they had talked about him; the others reported to her, didn't they? Why did he seem so surprised at that? If one person in the Shadowhand knew something, everyone knew it as well. Though it was part of the unspoken code the gang had developed over the years, utmost importance was placed on never having secrets from the other members of the group. Secrets made enemies, and enemies...well, let's just say that the method for dealing with enemies was something horrible.

So, is this errand dangerous?

She threw her head back and laughed. "Dangerous? I hope not, unless they decide to serve us exploding dumplings." She knew that Mugen wouldn't do something like that, but that didn't mean one of the gang's many enemies wouldn't. In her time as leader of the Shadowhand, she'd made many a public appearance, and more than a few people knew her face; the only solace she had was that nobody had any idea how to get their hands on her, even though efforts had been made by civilians, police, and of course, rival gang members.

Her mind flicked back to something he'd said. "Your nickname? I think you'll have one by the day's end, but enough about that. There's a place you really need to see. Let's go."

((This will be continued in "Through Republic City))

Jin Ho's Apartment

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This smile from Jin Ho was bright, a pure happiness shining through despite his desperate grief. "I'm glad it was you, too," he said, voice warm. The metalbender was a genuine person, and one got the sense from the way he spoke that he never lied, and always was certain about what he said.

And then Mizu started talking about talents and taking his shirt off. Jin Ho's mind pulled up blank; he would have to be dead not to notice the other man's body. It was... quite satisfactory, and the policeman's pale face flushed a bright red. "I —" He is beautiful.

Surely he didn't mean talents like... talents, right? Like... dirty talents? Ah, spirits. What was he even thinking? Did he need a distraction so badly? Embarrassed and curious and desiring all at once, Jin Ho quickly looked away, rubbing at burning green eyes.

"I'm sorry about that. I wasn't thinking."

Right, of course. As Mizu bent the water out of his shirt and made it disappear into nothing, Jin Ho swallowed a little. Not those kind of talents, then. Was he disappointed?

What kind of horrible person was he? Jin Ho turned his attention to his cup of tea, unsure of what to say. On one hand, Mizu could walk around his apartment with no shirt on any day and Jin Ho would definitely not complain. On the other hand, he was so emotional and maybe a little unbalanced by the loss of his best friend that he wasn't sure if his mind was just... latching onto it as something else to think about, or not.

Given the number of times he had possibly imagined something quite like this — but less sad — he would hazard a guess that it wasn't just a passing distraction, but still. Ah, hells! What would Mizu think of him if he could read minds? He'd probably be horrified! Jin Ho swallowed some of the tea almost desperately. Was it hot in the room? He felt hot. "It's, um — it's okay — don't worry about it..."

His face felt tight from the crying. Setting the mug down again, Jin Ho shrugged off the quilt. "I think I'll wash my face," he said, putting a hand near his eyes. "It kind of hurts... I guess that's what happens when you cry so much." He didn't have tons of experience with weeping hysterically. Standing, the young man brushed his braid back over his shoulder and stretched a little, both arms over his head.

Going to the bathroom, he ran cool water and splashed his face. It felt good on his skin, soothing and cold. He sighed a little, leaning on the sink and counter. What should he do when it was time to go to bed? The polite thing would be to offer the bed to Mizu, and to sleep on the sofa.

But he didn't want to sleep on the sofa, Jin Ho realized. He wanted to have the other man's arms around him again, in hopes that the warmth would keep the nightmares away. He wanted them to sleep... together.

I'm glad it was you too.

Seemingly for the first time in a long time, perhaps ever, Mizu smiled; not because of his attraction to the other man, not because Jin Ho had affirmed that his presence there was appreciated, but because of the affirmation that things were supposed to be going right despite such tragedy. Maybe, for once, things were going well in his life.

Unfortunately, the smile didn't last long after the shirt removal fiasco. He buried his face in his hands as if it would be the solution to his extremely red face; as this wasn't the case, he took a deep breath and looked back up at Jin Ho as the other man stammered that his slip-up had been okay. Was he insane? Mizu had taken his shirt off in front of a man that was very obviously attracted to him (he would have had to have been blind to not notice Jin Ho looking at his naked torso) at a very inappropriate time, and it was okay? Most definitely not, and he would be a horrible person for thinking otherwise.

I think I'll wash my face.

Mizu nodded and picked up his glass of wine, finishing it off in one gulp as the Metalbender left the room, thank Yue. With an unsteady hand, he poured himself another cup of the unique vintage and took another sip, feeling a comforting warmth wash over him. An unfortunate side effect of the wine being so rare is that nobody really knew anything about it; as a matter of fact, Jiro was the only man he knew that even knew about the wine. Normally, Mizu would have felt privileged to sample something so rare, but he was more concerned about the room taking on a soft glow and the dizziness he was starting to feel. When he picked up his cup to take another drink, he inhaled the wine's aroma and stopped when he detected a subtle aroma he hadn't noticed before, but now that he did, it was almost overpowering; it was the very familiar scent of very strong alcohol. Cursing under his breath, he set the mug down.

What was he to do now? He could feel the wine starting to flood his system, and he looked down the hall to the bathroom. The light was on and he could hear water running, but all he could do was think about how stupid he'd been for taking his shirt off without thinking. He needed to do something to alleviate his guilt.

He got up from the sofa, briefly thinking about finishing the cup of wine, before making his way down the hall to the bathroom. Jin Ho was looking in the mirror, obviously occupied by his own thoughts, and Mizu put a hand on the Metalbender's shoulder and turned him around so that they were facing each other. Now that they were in close proximity again, the Waterbender's heart was racing and he could feel a heat rising in his core, among other places. He didn't say a word as he looked into the other man's eyes.

Jin Ho's Apartment

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Jin Ho pressed the washrag to his face, letting the cool water wash off the salt from his tears. After a while, he took it down, surveying his face in the mirror. He couldn't ever remember seeing his eyes so red! He sighed, pulling his braid back over his shoulder. When it was wrapped around in front and he wasn't wearing a high-collared police uniform, the faded scars at the base of his neck from the car accident were visible. He brushed a finger over them absently, and then started when Mizu entered the bathroom.

Oh no! He'd taken too long! The Waterbender probably felt like Jin Ho was ignoring him or wasn't appreciative of his company or —

The other man put his hand on Jin Ho's shoulder, turning him around. They faced each other, blue eyes to green. Mizu didn't say anything, and the policeman started getting nervous. Or was it scared? They were so close to each other, and he wanted so badly to pull Mizu even closer, to slide hands under his shirt were he was warm and —

The scent cut into his thoughts. In such close proximity, Jin Ho could definitely smell the alcohol on Mizu's breath. A sharp pang of realization in his chest, hit him. The Waterbender had been so kind to him, but Jin Ho realized he probably was uncomfortable to be there in the first place, right?

So uncomfortable he has to drink heavily to sit here with me, he thought, because I am an emotional trainwreck.

Well, he would do his best. He would be the gentleman and give Mizu the bed. He wouldn't shower until morning, though that would then give him the Curse of Wet Hair All Day. Jin Ho didn't want to make Mizu feel like he had to go any farther out of his way to make him feel better. And maybe, just maybe, if he slept on the sofa he could... maybe... avoid waking the other man with his inevitable nightmares.

Jin Ho put on his best smile. "H-hi," he said, putting one hand over Mizu's on his shoulder. "Sorry. You're probably tired now, right? I'm sure I've worn you out."

When they locked eyes, sapphire to jade, the world seemed to stop. Mizu felt himself drawn into the green depths, and the heat in his body flared up. His tactile sense made him delve deeper, and his breath became more rapid as his fingertips felt like they were aflame; it was almost as if he was a Firebender.

As he looked into Jin Ho's eyes, he started to get the feeling that something was...wrong. Had he been too forward? Was he making it seem like all he wanted to do was get Jin Ho into bed? He bit his lip, trying to figure out exactly what he was sensing.

Back in his younger days, his Waterbending tutor had tried to teach him about both the physical and spiritual side of his art, and though Mizu had forgotten most of the spiritual things, one thing had stuck out in particular. From what he'd learned about bending, Waterbenders were more prone than others to be able to feel chi flows because rather than use the chi to bend their element like Earthbenders and the like, Waterbenders served as a conduit for their element's energy. Though he didn't take many of his tutor's lessons to heart, he'd seen this particular lesson relevant to everyday life. A Waterbender could sense someone's mood changes, even sense someone disturbing the chi flow in a room, even if that someone couldn't be seen right away. If one wasn't familiar with the principles of Waterbending, it might seem like Waterbenders had a sixth sense, but the most important thing that sensing chi flows afforded was the precious ability of empathy.

Mizu leaned in slightly, and for a moment, his nostrils caught a whiff of something powerful: the alcohol on his breath. Said breath caught in his throat, and he felt like he wanted to cry again.

"Hi." He swallowed a lump in his throat. "I...I'm not tired, but I figured you might be. I don't know how forward this is, but...I was thinking that we could sleep in your bed. I don't really care if I get any sleep, but I'm worried that you won't have anyone there if you have nightmares." He'd never forgotten what Jin Ho had told him, and he couldn't imagine that the nightmares would get any better now that Sweeper was gone.

Jin Ho’s Apartment

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Mizu’s face was sad, and the metalbender felt guilty. It was his fault Mizu looked so sad, and for a split second, Jin Ho hated himself for that.

"I...I'm not tired, but I figured you might be.”

Was he tired? Jin Ho did a mental check. His face hurt, his eyes were sore, and he was hungry. Maybe a little tired. “I’m not sure if I’m tired,” he said slowly, “but I think I need to eat something.” The next words from the Waterbender caught him totally off-guard.

“I don't know how forward this is, but...I was thinking that we could sleep in your bed. I don't really care if I get any sleep, but I'm worried that you won't have anyone there if you have nightmares."

Jin Ho stared at the other man in disbelief. Mizu was asking for them to sleep in the same bed? Was he out of his mind? Did he have any idea how – how very personal that could get? Jin Ho hadn’t had so much alcohol that he truly thought he’d lose control, but he had had enough to know that he was likely not to be as… cautious… in his decision making as he normally was.

All the same. Mizu mentioned the nightmares, so maybe he did just mean sleeping. There hadn’t been any indication that the other man would be less than chivalrous, and in the face of that, Jin Ho felt both reassured and a little nervous. He swallowed roughly. “Okay,” he said. “I don’t know anything about how forward it is, and I’m… not going to do you the disrespect of pretending like that’s not exactly what I want. But I’ll make something to eat first, okay? And –“ he blushed, because the next thing he was to say would surely sound stupid. And feminine. “—I have to wash my hair before I go to sleep.” He fingered the end of his wrist-thick braid. Damn him for having company on wash day.

“Ah –“ Wait. Mizu didn’t like spicy food. So that left, what, bibimbap? Yep. That was all he really had the ingredients for. “I know. I’ll cook for you. Come on.” Jin Ho reached for Mizu’s hand, lacing their fingers together. He’d have the other man sit down and then he’d feed them both. The addition of food to the alcohol in their systems would surely make them both tired, and cooking would keep his mind off both Sweeper and Mizu’s naked torso.

After making sure the Waterbender was seated at the small table, Jin Ho rolled his sleeves up and began making a small meal. Bibimbap was what he usually ate when he needed to go shopping – whatever vegetables he had left would get thrown in, and he always had rice. Setting the rice to cook, the young man chopped the vegetables. Jin Ho set two bowls of warm white rice topped with sautéed and seasoned vegetables and gochujang (chili pepper paste) on the table. He didn’t have any meat left in the house, so each bowl just had two eggs on top. “I don’t know if you’ve eaten bibimbap before,” he said, sitting down beside Mizu, “but you just sort of stir it up before you eat it. I didn’t put much gochujang in yours because you told me you don’t like spicy food, right?” He smiled a hopeful smile. "We usually eat things really hot in my family."

There was definitely something wrong with the chi flow in the room, and Mizu hoped against hope that it would work itself out. Soon; otherwise, he might go crazy. It happened from time to time, he'd heard; Waterbenders that were particularly sensitive to chi flows or empathic were very irrtated if things didn't flow smoothly, so to speak, and though he wasn't one of those, it still bugged him.

Okay. I don’t know anything about how forward it is, and I’m… not going to do you the disrespect of pretending like that’s not exactly what I want. But I’ll make something to eat first, okay?

And with those words, the chi in the room started flowing like it should have been. If asked, he wouldn't have lied; he wanted them to sleep in the same bed, but though he was attracted to the other man (make that very attracted to the other man), sex was the last thing on his mind.

Then Jin Ho mentioned his hair. For the first time since they'd met, he actually noticed it. The intricacy of his braid, the way it was so carefully put together; he almost touched it, but he had to stop himself. He couldn't ruin something that Jin Ho had obviously put so much work into, so he settled for brushing an errant strand of his own hair behind his ear.

Ah-- I know. I’ll cook for you. Come on.

Mizu let himself be led to the apartment's kitchen, where he took a seat while Jin Ho cooked. The aromas were more intoxicating than the alcohol in his system, and before he knew it, there was a steaming bowl of food he'd never seen before, and his mouth immediately began watering.

"No, I've never had it, but this looks amazing. Thank you." He smiled as he used his spoon to stir the ingredients in the bowl. As he took a bite, he had to close his eyes and savor every flavor; the spiciness took him by surprise. He loved it.

"Forget that. It is amazing!"

Jin Ho's Apartment

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Jin Ho always arranged his bibimbap the same — bright sunny egg in the middle of a circle of vegetables: carrot, fernbrake, spinach, white mushrooms, zucchini, red pepper. Sometimes there were other or different vegetables, depending on what he had. Bibimbap was very much a 'use it up' type of dish, eaten before he needed to go to the store and using up the last bits of many vegetables. The bowl he set in front of Mizu was much, much less red and spicy looking than his own.

"No, I've never had it, but this looks amazing. Thank you."

Jin Ho was a little apprehensive. He'd tried, really he had, to make it less spicy than usual — but he was so used to the spiciness of gochujang that he doubted he could really tell how much he'd succeeded. His own bowl of bibimbap had easily twice as much of the thick red pepper paste stirred into it. He kept glancing at the Waterbender, waiting for him to take a bite. When he finally did Jin Ho held his breath without realizing. What if Mizu hated it?

"Forget that. It is amazing!"

The young metalbender was clearly relieved. He let out his breath and smiled. "Oh thank goodness — I was worried you'd hate it," he confessed, before going back to eating his own bowl. It wasn't as comforting as soonobu jjigae but Jin Ho still felt better after eating. His food disappeared pretty rapidly, and he took his bowl to the sink, carefully washing it out and setting it in a rack to dry. That done he came back out, laying a hand on Mizu's shoulder. "I'll wash my hair now," he said. "Please feel free to... I don't know, make yourself comfortable. I don't have any secrets or anything, so I don't care if you get nosy."

Pulling off the tie on the end of his hair, Jin Ho walked towards the bedroom, slowly unravelling the braid. His thick black hair had deep snaky waves in it from the hairstyle, and it felt good to scratch his scalp a little when it was all free. Gathering up clothing — even though he didn't normally sleep in any — Jin Ho went back to the bathroom, discreetly shutting the door. His face still hurt. After turning the water on, he ran a comb through his hair, and then stepped into the shower. The soap he used smelled like citrus fruits and herbs, the smell strong enough to seep into the living room.

Clearly the man loved to read. The living room didn't have many decorations, but book storage was plentiful. On closer inspection, the spines would easily reveal that Jin Ho was an escapist reader, enjoying fantasy and romance. There were plenty of books about the art of war, law, criminal justice, and ethics, of course — he was also a very responsible person — but the fiction told more about the person than the others. The quilt was obviously hand-made and very well loved, with someone's name embroidered into a corner. The name shared Jin Ho's surname — Park — but was not his otherwise. It had been handed down in the family.

Jin Ho tried to make it quick, but the shower felt really good, and he ended up closing his eyes and just standing under the water for a little while. Once he realized he was wasting time, of course, he finished washing and hurriedly got out, trying to manage the wet hair and getting dressed all in the very small space. The clothes he'd chosen were rather old and patched up — suitable for cleaning days or laundry days or running, but not for daily wear. The shirt was pale grey, soft and loose, with trousers much the same but darker charcoal in colour. He came out into the living room squeezing water from his near-waist length hair into a green towel, looking a bit sheepish.

"Sorry," he said. "I — guess I lost track of time." The food and the hot shower had combined to make him very tired, but there was still the matter of his hair. He'd have to wait for it to dry at least a little before he could lie down. The man's eyes were bright green again, less dulled by tears, as he sat on the sofa and gently squeezed more water from his hair. "I guess the food worked, because I'm tired now. Are you?" Jin Ho looked at Mizu. He usually combed his hair in the bedroom so it would be no trouble just to go sit in there for a while, if Mizu was ready to go to bed. Although... combing his hair around someone else was just so... intimate. He flushed a little thinking about it.

Disused Storage Warehouse

"I'm hungry," Sora said abruptly, turning around and going back to the poker rack where she had left her other cane. She'd actually been hungry since before entering the warehouse, she remembered, but obviously other things had taken precedence. Admittedly, right now, she couldn't remember a single one of them. I mean, honestly, what was more important than eating? Aside from breathing, she admitted as she fetched her second cane and began hobbling toward the door of the training arena.

"Well, come on already," she called back impatiently as she continued on her merry way. A wave of "fresh" air hit her in the face and she realised that the sun was setting. Fascinating. Time was still moving forward then? How boring. It never moved sideways, or curled into a circle. Backwards was impossible, of course, she'd tried that once, and fallen over her own heels. Twice. She wasn't entirely sure how she managed that. Tadashi would be home... or should be headed home... or perhaps was staying out with friends. Sora couldn't recall.

"We can either go back to my home to eat, or visit one of the restaurants," she spun precariously around and turned to face Zheng again. "I'm feeding you, regardless, and I don't want to hear any lip about it. If you ever want to reach the tender age of thirteen, you've got to eat well. I don't want to see a young child like you waste away to nothing."

Republic City boasted a number of relatively good restaurants, and Sora qualified for a lovely senior discount despite objecting to it. Still, nothing beat the taste of her old favourite foods from Grandma Riko's tribal cookbook. Sora could make the dishes, but she couldn't do them the justice that Grandma Riko had. It was one of her strongest remaining sensory memories of the Old Days, as her father once called them.

Mizu took a few more big bites of the bibimbap, tasting the savory vegetables, soft rice, and the delicious red pepper paste. It was such a simple dish, but the flavors combined in a unique way to create an amazing dish; so amazing, in fact, that he had to keep himself from wolfing it down so he could enjoy it.

Oh thank goodness — I was worried you'd hate it.

He finished the bite he was working on. "Why would I hate it? Truth be told, I haven't really had anyone make a home-cooked meal for me in a long time. My mom used to make me Five-flavor Soup and Seaweed Noodles. She wanted her family to have traditional Water Tribe food because it's our heritage. I miss that." He took another bite. Though both of his parents had been tough on him because they thought he was lazy and didn't want to put the work into realizing their dreams for him, his mother always showed a soft spot by making him food and baking him treats; oh, she'd come up with some exquisite pastries. In one of their conversations, she'd confessed that, before she'd met her husband, she wanted to open up a bakery to share her creations with the world, but Mizu had come along and thrust her into the role of motherhood, not that she particularly minded that. She'd adopted the role with gusto and gave 100% of her time and energy into raising the couple's only son. Maybe that was why she pushed him to succeed.

He finished his food just as Jin Ho came over to him, apparently having polished off the contents of his own bowl.

I'll wash my hair now. Please feel free to... I don't know, make yourself comfortable. I don't have any secrets or anything, so I don't care if you get nosy.

Mizu swallowed the last bite. "I'll wait in the living room. Thanks again for the bibimbap. It was great." He smiled as Jin Ho left the room, and he got up, walking his bowl to the sink. He turned on the faucet and, taking a deep breath, he bent water around his hands like he'd seen Waterbending Healers do, using it to "wipe" the food from his bowl. Worried that he might not have gotten his bowl as clean as it should be, he set it in the drying rack next to the other one and bent the water from his hands into the sink.

With that done, he went into the living room and took a look around. There were a lot of books in a lot of different places, and they immediately caught his interest. His finger ran lightly across the spines as he surveyed the title, and he could tell that Jin Ho loved fiction, especially romance. He didn't know whether they were the kind that were more...graphic, for lack of a better term, but given what he knew about the other man, they'd probably be more about the love than the sex. It just made sense.

His icy eyes lit up when he found the non-fiction, especially since he found some titles that he had stashed in his own apartment concerning the art of war and battle strategies. He'd never told anyone, but he'd collected books like those and hidden them away, simply for the pleasure of owning them. Picking a book titled The Siege of the North, he took a seat on the couch and opened the pages; before he did, he noticed the quilt that Jin Ho had covered himself with earlier and set the book down. Upon picking it up, he felt its softness and noticed the name embroidered on one corner: Park. He smiled as he realized that he'd found out Jin Ho's surname.

Pulling the quilt over his lower half, he opened the book and began reading; it told of the epic battle that had occurred when the Fire Nation invaded the Northern Water Tribe. He'd heard about the battle in school, but this book gave him insight that school never had; how Admiral Zhao had killed the mortal form of the moon spirit Tui, how Princess Yue had sacrified herself to restore the moon, and how the Avatar Aang had driven off the entire Fire Nation Army almost singlehandedly.

As he read, he had to pause when he noticed a tangy aroma in the air. It was sweet, yet had earthen undertones that intrigued him. He took a deep breath of the scent in before he continued reading, but he stopped at the quotes from Waterbenders who had lost their bending when Zhao killed Tui when Jin Ho came into the room. He'd changed into the kind of clothing that people usually wore when they had nothing else clean or were just feeling lazy, but that didn't make him any less attractive. Instinctively, he marked his place in the book and set it down on the couch.

"Sorry. I — guess I lost track of time.

Mizu smiled again. "It's okay. I found something to do." He held up the book he'd found.

I guess the food worked, because I'm tired now. Are you?

Now that he thought about it, he did feel a heaviness in his stomach, but he didn't really feel like going to sleep.

"Not really tired, but I'd like to rest." He caught sight of Jin Ho's still-wet hair. "If you need to finish getting ready for bed, I can keep reading.[/i]

[OOC: Sorry for the wait =[ I've been busy for a while and I really feel bad about not posting.]



He had to be mad. There was no question. Yuriko heard his footsteps getting closer and scrubbed her face with her fists. Stop crying. Stop. She tried to compose herself to the man who had paid her for a ruined jacket and a burn, but it was so hard.

Mr. Yuan hunched down beside her so she had to smear her face around again and found it impossible to look him in the eye. His voice came in. "Your accuracy and control were sub-standard, but you produced fire when you wanted. That's good."

She finally was able to look up, trying not to let him see her red eyes. Thankfully the tears had slowed and she wasn't openly sobbing anymore. And then he stood, and she thought he was just going to turn away and leave here there - Daddy's going to be mad, she knew - but Mr. Yuan instead offered her a hand. "We need to leave before people start asking questions."

She nodded very slowly, understanding. She wiped her palms on her dress quickly to dry them as best as possible, and took his hand, letting him help her to a stand. She was shaky on her legs, and her head felt dizzy for a moment. She tried to breathe in deeply but she couldn't look Mr. Yuan in the eyes anymore without her breath coming in panicked gasps. She was about to ask where they could go (her dad would not like her coming home in this state) when he answered, as if hearing her thoughts.

"Come. I'll buy us dinner... After we clean ourselves up." Shocked, she froze.

"Mr. Yuan..." she stuttered, "I mean, I burned your jacket. I hurt you." She forced herself to keep from crying. "Just... After all this, I don't want you to think you have to keep paying for me. You need to buy a new jacket and everything..."

Finally, the flower girl was able to look the businessman in the face. The words spilled out of her without warrant. "And I can't go home right now! Daddy will get really mad at me..." She regretted saying it, but at the same time there was a shocking sense of relief. It felt like her heart beat a little more easily, and some of the flush faded from her cheeks. But... her dress was ripped. Her palms had little scrapes on them. If he took one look at her, he'd know something was wrong. He wouldn't let her outside for a while, and he'd probably punish her like he did the twins...

But she couldn't think about that right now. "Where can we go?"